Keselowski leads final Southern 500 practice at Darlington

Keselowski completed five runs for a total of 51 laps. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, who started last year’s Southern 500 from the pole and finished second, is still looking for his first victory at Darlington Raceway.

Kurt Busch was second quick in single lap runs with a speed of 174.031mph, followed by Jimmie Johnson 174.019mph, Kasey Kahne (173.656mph), Paul Menard (173.454mph) and Greg Biffle (173.234mph). Johnson’s 74 laps were the most completed in final practice.

Defending Southern 500 winner Carl Edwards was the fastest Toyota (172.826mph) in the single lap run category. After he completed his final run, he told the crew he was “a little tight, center off.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (172.687mph), Denny Hamlin (172.586mph) and Trevor Bayne (172.505mph) rounded out the top 10. Ryan Blaney (P11, 172.505mph) was the fastest rookie.

“Good job today, guys,” Blaney said following the 80-minute session. “Appreciate it.”

After just 16 laps, Kyle Larson picked up a Darlington stripe. Ditto Kyle Busch on his 23rd lap.

"If anything, it felt looser," Kyle Busch after slapping the wall. His best lap was 29th on the speed chart.

Greg Biffle’s 170.536mph was the Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average. Biffle has two wins at the Lady in Black in 15 career starts.

Martin Truex Jr. (170.449mph), Johnson (170.429mph), Kasey Kahne (170.352mph) and Edwards (169.898mph) were the top five in the category followed by Jeff Gordon (169.806mph), Kyle Larson (169.559mph), Ryan Newman (169.371mph), Denny Hamlin (169.216mph) and Austin Dillon (169.215mph).

Cla	#	Driver	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	Mph
1	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford	51	28.157			174.649
2	41	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	54	28.257	0.100	0.100	174.031
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	74	28.259	0.102	0.002	174.019
4	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	59	28.318	0.161	0.059	173.656
5	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	55	28.351	0.194	0.033	173.454
6	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	44	28.387	0.230	0.036	173.234
7	19	Carl Edwards	Toyota	44	28.454	0.297	0.067	172.826
8	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	44	28.477	0.320	0.023	172.687
9	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	20	28.497	0.340	0.020	172.566
10	6	Trevor Bayne	Ford	34	28.501	0.344	0.004	172.541